The Rose
by Yamani Warrior
Summary: This is the story of the life of a young Yamani Princess named Ruveila noh Ryushikawa. All characters are original, though some of Tamora's characters appear now and then.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Just as a matter of principle, I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's characters, for what few appear in this story, but I do own my created ones, so please do not use them without my permission.

**Author's Notes**: This is a story revolving around my own character named _Ruveila noh Ryushikawa (later on will be Ruveila Tegacis)_, a Yamani Princess. Later on, as stated in member mare's fic, it will merge into the joint effort.

It was a crisp and cool fall afternoon in the Yamani Islands as Empress Hinote stood near the picture window in her sitting room, gazing out into the training yards beyond the window and was watching her two sons sparring. The eldest and future Emperor was Saihitei, a man whom resembled his father a lot in appearance, with long black hair and was rather tall and well built, His sparring partner was his younger brother Jakuen, whom looked like the pair's mother, also carrying her odd blue eyes.

The elder Prince raised his practice sword and took a defensive stance, beckoning his younger brother of 16 years to come at him. Saihitei, himself was eighteen at this point and was being groomed for his future role. His younger brother was striving to be a warrior much like most the young boys in their country. Jakuen studied his brother's stance with a curious but cautious gaze before charging him at an angle, weaving in and out of a straight charge to throw his brother off.

Saihitei was impressed that he thought that much ahead, as it was known among close family that Jakuen didn't always use his head when doing a lot of things, the airhead syndrome of youth perhaps but it only seemed to touch the youngest boy and not the elder. A side step and a crash of a practice sword down on Kuen's back let the younger know that he had made an error of judgment and paid for it painfully.

" Kuso… why do you always do that. " Jakuen swore at his brother, looking rather angry, for it did hurt and he was not going to bother hiding his emotion behind the mask that the Yaman were famous for. Saihitei, rather than respond, took another swing at his brother, the swords clashing together this time. " You learn.. and be glad these are only practice weapons, brother." Sai replied to his sibling then turned towards the window overlooking the yard and waved to his mother. " Hello Kaa-san." He called to her in their native tongue.

Hinote shook her head, boys will be boys after all and she was fairly certain that Kuen would be nursing a bruised ego for a few hours after this, now knowing she had seen him take the hit. " Why don't you two come on inside, we can have some tea and relax for once." The Empress replied, her hands resting on her very swollen abdomen. Her pregnancy was nothing short of a miracle of the gods, as the Empress was in her mid thirties and thought to have been barren after giving birth to Jakuen sixteen years earlier.

She was now within days of giving birth, or so her personal shugenja told her. Hearing the pair of males going towards the inner part of the Palace, Hinote shifted her position to get more comfortable as she felt the shift of a twin pair of movements within her womb. She had thought for the longest time she might be carrying more than one child, mostly due to the amount of movement she felt and the sheer size of her stomach.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she was joined in her sitting room by both her sons and smiled as her friend and Commander of her guard, Meru, poured the three cups of tea. The normally stiff commander of the Empress Guard normally did not do anything of this nature but Hinote had not been permitted to be by herself since she entered her third trimester of pregnancy, as the Emperor Seichiro was afraid of her getting hurt by something or someone.

" Thank you Meru, I know this is not something you are normally supposed to do." The Empress responded kindly, smiling gently. Meru bowed as was due to the Empress' station. " You are my lady and Empress, I live to serve and aside from that… you don't need to be stooping over to pour tea. You might end up kick starting labor that way." The elder female responded to her somewhat younger charge.

A smile crossed the aging Commander's face as she regarded the pair of boys that entered the room. By looking at them, she could see that Saihitei was turning out to be a fine young man and perhaps with a bit more maturing and growth, his younger brother would as well. Sai smiled and bowed his head politely to Meru and a moment later and after a painful jerk of his brother's elbow into his side, Jakuen did the same.

Meru shook her head at the two young men, as they treated her much like family, though she was but a common born woman. They made her feel like family and being her own was back on the island of Saigon, the lone Island that Hinote had been born on, she had almost adopted these two like her own sons and Hinote was so kind, it was hard to not like her. Taking her teacup in her hands, the Empress shook her head at the pair of males. " Saihitei, be nice to your brother." She reprimanded her eldest, whom bowed his head and complied, taking the command without any display of anger or distaste.

Jakuen almost broke face to grin about this but a look from the Empress shut his thought of doing so down and he bit back his smart arced comment. He was ever the comedian and sarcastic of the two, something that irked their father to no end. He was only serious when he had to be, the rest of the time, it was all jokes and comments. The afternoon waned into evening, as the three drank their tea and discussed the day's events; the eminent birth of the baby and whatever else came to mind.

It was much later on, after the usual elaborate dinners that often occurred in the main hall of the palace that the Emperor and Empress retired to their chambers for the night. Having just came from the hot springs and in a sleeping kimono, the Empress sat down in front of her mirror that was attached to her vanity that had various things on it that most women of her noble standing would have, such as lip paints, powders, perfumes and the like.

Unwinding her long hair from the confines of the bun it was in, the royal let it fall down her back and picked up her brush and began to run it through her waist length and glossy black hair. She looked into the mirror then and noticed her husband standing behind her, the rare smile on his face that he only gave for her upon his lips.

Reaching his hand out, he took the brush and began to run it through her hair himself, and seemed rather content to do so. Hinote smiled and closed her eyes, as the motion was very relaxing indeed. " Seichiro… careful now… don't want to spoil me." She replied with a smile of her own that grew a bit when the Emperor leaned down and kissed the side of her neck. " Shh.. it will be our dirty secret." Came the jesting reply, which prompted a laugh from the female.

After sitting the brush down, Emperor helped his Empress to her feet. " The hour is growing late, judging by the position of the moon and you know that you are supposed to get plenty of rest." Seichiro said gently to his wife, guiding her towards the pair's elaborate bed. Hinote allowed herself to be guided towards it until she felt a jolt of pain, something that had been going on most of the evening and then felt a warm trickle down her right leg and her face paled. " Sleep is not an option right now… the child comes." Hinote replied as Seichiro's dark eyes widened and he called for the healer and soon a flurry of motion would engulf the room. Before the end of the night, a new life would enter the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Same as on Chapter one. I don't think I need to restate it every time I post a new chapter... or maybe I am just lazy, who knows.

**Author's Notes: **The first chapter was just giving a bit of background on Ru's family, just in case anyone was wondering why she was not mentioned as of yet. Also, I encourage and welcome reviews and I don't get too sensitive over any non-positive feedback, just please don't be too harsh. I am doing my best here and this is my first story.

* * *

Hinote let out another pain filled moan as another contraction hit her hard. She had been in active labor now for several hours and it was nearing eleven pm. The Empress was beginning to tire out from the effort of the labor and Her worried husband and sons were pacing anxiously outside her room.

Arashi, the Palace healer then looked up at the Empress. " Come now your Highness… take in a breath and hold it in for ten seconds and push." The woman relayed as though she was very tired, Hinote complied and did as she was instructed. This went on for nearly an hour before a wail of an infant could be heard. Hinote sunk back against the covers on the birthing bed, her body and mind exsuasted but it was all forgotten the moment her wailing daughter was placed upon her chest.

The girl child calmed the moment her mother gazed down at her, looking into the deep blue eyes of her child. The little girl had a full head of black hair and her skin had lighter tone to it than most Yamani. Pondering on that for a moment, the Empress thought it rather reminded her of fresh fallen snow or polished porcelain.

After giving her a moment to bond with the girl, the child was taken from her to go be cleaned up and tested for the Gift, as was all the royal children. It had been over a hundred years since a Ryushikawa had been Gifted and most of the line had given up the idea that it would ever surface again. While this was going on, the Empress, delirious from the stress on her body, was not aware that a second child had began to crown as she felt the pain again and moaned in protest. Arashi raced back over to her and looked shocked, twins… now this was new.

It took about four minutes to birth the second girl, whom looked completely identical to her elder sister. This presented a bit of a problem for the family. With twin daughters, one would more than likely be at odds with the other in the future if it ever came to terms of succession. Seichiro had a difficult choice to make, which twin to keep and raise and which one to send away for the safety and preservation of peace.

As the younger twin, not given a name yet, was tested for the Gift, she was found not to have a lick of it. However, the elder of the two glowed a fierce jade when it was checked with her and the choice was made almost instantly. The Gifted daughter would stay and her sister had to go. Lucky for the Emperor, Hinote was not aware fully that she had two healthy daughters and as the younger was being disposed of, Seichiro scooped up the now special daughter and first born of the two and moved over to Hinote. As he held the calm baby, he thought back to the first Gifted female in their royal line and the name came to him for her, using the surname of his ancestor, and she was named Ruveila.

* * *

The birth of a Gifted child to the Royals was a cause for celebration indeed and after Hinote had a few days to recover enough to be able to leave her rooms, a large party was held in the infant Princess' honor. Many people had stopped during the party to admire the very lovely little girl and comment on her unusual but beautiful eyes.

Saihitei was beaming almost as much as his father and was attached to the tiny infant the moment he was allowed to hold her, moments after his father had. Often he would be the first one to get to her when she cried and take her to his mother, which made the bonding of the oldest and youngest start. Jakuen, on the other hand, was less than pleased and felt like he had been replaced in his father's attentions, the second son and nothing more.

He had resented how much attention was lavished on Ruveila and despite being sixteen years old, he was acting like a child of about six years and it was obvious he was jealous of his sister. He spent most of the party in a sullen and sulky mood, going out to the practice yard and beating on one of the dummies for the remaining duration of the festivities.

Hinote was beginning to get exsuated about several hours and soon she and baby Ruveila had retired to bed for the night… at least Hinote tried to sleep, but she was still very sore and a bit frail from the twin birth. Saihitei spent another hour or so with the guests before the night's events were finished and he too retired to the rooms with his wife, the infant's crib in the nearby room, close enough for Hinote to be able to hear. Ironically, the child slept the entire night, a welcome blessing to her healing mother and tired father.

**

* * *

****---Five Years Later---**

Scampering down the hall, on the heels of Saihitei, young Ruveila carried a cat doll in one hand and a tiny wooden sword in the other. She had began training with her mother and also practiced the sword and such with her elder brother. The child was like a shadow at his side and Sai did not mind her following him around in the least. He had grown very attached to his baby sister and was more involved in her rearing than their father was, who was more occupied with his duties and such more so than the raising of a dependant female.

The only time he showed any interest in the child was when she would do something new with her Gift or when she was in trouble. For the most part, she was all but neglected by the males in her family, like Jakuen and her father to name a pair of them. The commander of the Empress Guard had changed in the last year as well, as Meru passed into the Peaceful Realms and her subordinate Tanith Okichibu took the rank of commander and was often with Ruveila when her brother was not available to spend time with the child.

" Brother… where are you going?" Ruveila demanded, her little face a bit red from keeping up with the long legged strides of her elder brother. Sai chuckled and turned around and ruffled the child's hair a bit. " I was off to get some lunch before my meeting with father." He replied, kneeling down to the child's eye level. She was so darn cute it was hard to really ever tell her she could not go somewhere with him.

" Oh… can I come? I haven't eaten lunch yet." Ru replied, scooting her slipper clad foot across the floor as she looked down at the designs carved into the stone floor. Sai laughed and scooped up his young sister, who let out a gleeful giggle. " Of course. Can't let a growing girl like yourself go hungry after all." He replied, situating her up on his shoulders, holding her little legs secure so she didn't fall. This earned another joy filled sound from Ruveila as he made his way down to the dining room.

As they walked in, Hinote was already seated, Tanith to her immediate right and also had a plate of food in front of her, much like the Empress. Seichiro had taken his meal in his study, which was not uncommon behavior from him, as he rarely spent anytime at the meal table, save for dinners. The Empress laughed softly as the pair entered the room. " Saihitei… be careful… don't drop her." She said cautiously, though she was sure he would not.

The Prince sat his little sister down in her smaller chair to the left of his own and then took the seat on the opposite side of his mother. Ruveila looked over to her mother and her bodyguard, the sight of Tanith was nothing unusual to the child, as she was often with the woman during the time Sai was too busy to play with her and her mother was as well. "Guess what mother? I learned a new spell today!" The child exclaimed, her mouth full of rice.

Hinote shook her head and her brother reached over and closed the child's mouth. " Don't talk with your mouth full, Ruveila." Sai instructed, knowing it was what his mother was going to say and because he was within reach of Ru, he did it for her. Swallowing the bit of rice, the Princess tried again. " The court wujen says my Gift likes the cold… cause when I tried to make a glass of water boil, it froze instead and doing fire spells makes my head hurt and my eyes get all messed up." The child yammered on merrily then took another bite of her lunch, as she was prodded with a chopstick from Sai, an indication to keep eating while it was hot.

Ruveila, being of a tender age and so full of energy, kept talking more than she was eating throughout the afternoon meal, only pausing to eat the occasional bite. She then began to realize it was getting cold and made a face when she was not permitted to leave the table till she finished what was left. After the lunch was over, Saihitei excused himself and left for the meeting with his father. The child sighed as she felt a degree depressed that her brother would not be around to "train" again.

Their training if one wanted to call it that, consisted of her swinging her sword around and Saihitei correcting her stance and showing her a trick or two. It would not be happening today, as her brother was busy and her mother reminded her that she had schoolwork. A groan of protest came from the little girl but she obediently went to attend her afternoon lessons with her tutor, and Tanith was accompanying her as usual, her mother spending some time with her own group of ladies.

Ruveila was knelt in front of an altar, several hours later and just after dinner in the shrine to Yama, offering her evening prayers. When the child finished, she stood up and walked outside and sighed. Tanith, always like her shadow, stood near the Princess and when she heard the girl sigh, she was a little concerned. " Something bothers you little one… what is it?" She asked as Ruveila turned towards her bodyguard.

" I noticed something that has bothered me for a while now… " She started then looked up at the starry and clear night sky, the moon in a waning crescent this night. " If your parents were born slaves, then you are a slave, a servant born to servants is considered one… and a royal born to royals is a royal. Do you think a person's worth is decided the moment of their birth?" The child started and Tanith ran a hand through her short brown hair. Such a mature question from so young a mind had caught the woman off guard.

Ruveila paused for a moment, letting her bodyguard offer her own answer to that. "Well Ru… Princesses are princesses because they're born into royal families, right?" Tanith replied, her answer carefully weighted out, as she was not really sure where her charge was going with this. " Its funny… I've been addressed as Princess my entire life so far, but I've never really considered what it meant." The Yamani royal replied, fingering a strand of hair.

" Forgive me your highness, but from where I stand, I think you've been blessed." Tanith replied, sighing softly. Her own family had been slaves for many generations. " It bothers me Tanith… like with my servants… no matter how hard I try to, I can't ever fully understand their pain. Also… despite what my father and family may do in regards to servants and slaves, I'm not going to think of you or treat you differently just because you used to be a slave. It's not going to happen." The child said with determination then looked over at her protector. " You're are you… and I am free to think of it the way I want right?"

The little girl's kind words were pulling at the very core of Tanith's heart. " Tanith… there is nothing anyone can do about your past or those burdens you carry… and I know I am too young to understand everything you've been through but please… don't push me away, because I want you to always be my friend before being my guardian… okay?" Ruveila asked, looking at the larger female standing beside her.

Despite what it might have netted her in the way of punishment, Tanith knelt down to the child's height and wrapped her in a hug. " Well then Ruveila… may our friendship be true and enduring." Tanith replied, holding the Princess in the hug that the girl readily returned. Tanith could tell that if she stayed true to her beliefs that she held now, that she would make a fine example to the common folk that there is a caring heart that beats within a blue blooded noble's chest.

After another moment, the woman let go of the child and stood back up. " The hour grows late and if you hope to be up in time for practice with your brother, you best be getting to bed little lady. " Tanith said with a chuckle. Ruveila heaved another sigh but did not put up a protest as her guardian and now friend walked with her to her rooms and released her to the capable hands of her servants. Ruveila was soon dressed for bed and before she crawled under her covers, she looked out her window and as a shooting star passed, the little girl made a wish then went over and climbed obediently into her bed and slipped into a deep slumber moments later, not dreaming this night as she had before.


End file.
